


your arms provide the temple in which i choose to stay

by RavenWhitecastle



Series: The Sinner and the Saint [18]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Body Worship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gift Fic, M/M, References to Canon, Romantic Fluff, Scars, Short, Short & Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-15 02:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14781594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenWhitecastle/pseuds/RavenWhitecastle
Summary: John takes care not to mention the incident that caused Harold's limp. It's a painful reminder of Harold's past, but- despite Harold's misgivings- John loves the ragged scar.-Sequel to "your body is the altar at which i choose to pray." Requested by M_E_Lover.





	your arms provide the temple in which i choose to stay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [M_E_Lover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_E_Lover/gifts).



John had heard the story behind Harold's limp exactly once. It was as many times as Harold could bear to relive it. It was a painful reminder of Harold's failures and shortcomings. John took care not to mention the incident, but- despite Harold's misgivings- John loved the ragged scar.

It was all the things that made Harold who he was to John. It was the shuffling in the morning that signaled Harold was up and making tea. It was his uneven gait as he walked beside John, which John could recognize anywhere. It was the way Harold carried himself despite his disability. The slight tilt of Harold's stance was dignified. John loved it all.

The scar started as a series of stripes on the right side of Harold's neck to the middle of his shoulders. His back had taken the brunt of the force, and the surgery to place the pins in Harold's neck had left a spidery white line that ran like a lightning bolt across Harold's freckled skin.

They were lying in bed one night, Harold on his good side reading and John watching him lovingly. John gently ran his fingers over the scars, sighing. Harold flushed, not used to the attention to his imperfections. After a few moments, Harold murmured, "I don't understand your fascination with it."

Harold always said "it" when talking about the scar or the explosion that caused it. John indulged him, replying, "I think it's... nice."

Harold scoffed. "Nice?"

"Not nice, that's not what I meant." John chewed on his lower lip, searching for words. "What I mean is, I love it."

"But why?" Harold asked, shutting his book and setting it aside, "I'm no hero."

John felt a pang in his chest. He thought Harold was a hero- of course he was, he'd saved John, and together they'd saved countless others, and if that didn't make Harold a hero, John didn't know what would. But that wasn't what the scar represented. Continuing to touch the scar lightly, he said, "I know it's a painful memory for you, and I know you blame yourself. For... what happened to Nathan. But..." He placed his palm on Harold's shoulder, stretching his fingers to align with the stripes. "If it wasn't for this, you wouldn't have started saving people. It... this scar... brought you to me." John leaned forward and pressed his lips to the stitches at the top of Harold's spine for a long moment. He lingered there before adding, "That's why I love it."

Harold smiled to himself. After a long moment, Harold said, "I guess I never thought of it that way." He rolled over onto his back and pressed his lips to John's. The gratitude was implied.

John smiled into the kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "Besides, we sort of match. The two of us, together, all banged up."

Harold smirked. "Would you be jealous if I was perfect?"

John pressed his lips to Harold's forehead and sighed, "You already are."

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, talk about fluffy. I surprise myself sometimes, but they have been through a lot. I guess I feel like they deserve it.  
> The reference for the scar took a little research, since they never really show the aftermath. There's a brief clip in Season 1, Episode 14, "Wolf and Cub," where you can see a rough patch of skin just above Harold's collar. I started with that, then took a few creative liberties with the rest.  
> Special thanks to M_E_Lover for the inspiration! I've been struggling with writer's block for a bit, and I think this was just the jumpstart I needed! I know it's fluffy and cheesy, but I really hope you like it!


End file.
